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Minutes of the 2010 Central Executive Committee

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Minutes of the Central Executive Committee

Friends World Committee for Consultation

Held in Savelberg Retreat Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

May 16 – 19, 2010

 
Members present:
David Bucura (Rwanda YM) Member at Large
Jocelyn Burnell (Britain YM) Clerk, Central Executive Committee
Kenya Casanova Sales (Cuba YM) Member at Large
Dilawar Chetsingh (General Conference of Friends in India) Clerk, Asia West Pacific Section
Margaret Fraser (Philadelphia YM) Exec Secretary, Section of the Americas
for Mins 1 – 5 and 19 - 32
Elizabeth Gates (Philadelphia YM) Assistant Clerk, FWCC
Nancy Irving (North Pacific YM) General Secretary, FWCC
Marisa Johnson (Britain YM) Exec Sec, Europe and Middle East Section
Valerie Joy (Australia YM) Exec Sec, Asia West Pacific Section
Gladys Kang’ahi (East Africa YM North) Clerk, Africa Section
Marit Kromberg (Norway YM) Clerk, Europe and Middle East Section
Duduzile Mtshazo (Central and Southern Africa YM) Clerk, FWCC
Moses Musonga (East Africa YM) Executive Secretary, Africa Section
Roger Sturge (Britain YM) Treasurer, FWCC
Ray Treadway (N Carolina YM Cons) Clerk, Section of the Americas
 
Visitor: (for Mins 4 – 18) Harry Albright (Britain YM) Communications Director, FWCC
 
Prevented: John Fitzgerald (Ireland YM) Member at Large
 
CEC10 - 4 Deceased Friends
 
In our opening worship we recalled with affection and gave thanks for the lives of Friends who supported FWCC and have died since last we met. We know of the following names, but are aware that this list will not be complete: Graham Hodgkin (AWPS); Hezekiah Ngoya (Africa); John Walukhu (Africa); Rose Machayo (Africa); Berit Collett (EMES); Olga Dolgina (EMES); Marianne Boelsma-Sudinger (EMES) and from the Section of the Americas: Maulio Ajo Berencén; Gordon Browne; Marie Clark; Joe Davis; Zigmund ‘Zig’ Dermer; William ‘Bill’ Fuson; Arline Hobson; John Hubbard; Solomon ‘Sol’ Jacobson; Carolyn Kellum; George Loft; Mikio ‘Mike’ Miyake; Heather Moir; Tom Mullen; Theodore ‘Ted’ Perkins; Frances Pyle; Filiberto Ruiz; Edward “Red” Stephenson; Sue Turner; George Willoughby; Olive Wilson; Bob Wixom; Horatio ‘Woody’ Wood.
We have recognised the role of Gordon Browne and Heather Moir in particular in sowing seeds in many of our lives. May we also be able to sow some seeds for those that come after us, to the greater glory of God.
 
CEC10 - 5 Electronic Minutes
 
We have noted that we have agreed three electronic minutes. They follow here:
 
CEC10-01e Nominations.
 
Following the recommendation of the Nominating Committee, we make the following appointments:
 
For QUNC-New York
Sieneke Martin of Australia YM to serve from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013 [replacing Linley Gregory of A/NZYM whose terms have been served]
For QUNC-Geneva
Emily Mnisi of Central & Southern Africa YM to serve from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2013 [re-appointment for a second term]

For Young Adult Friends Committee
EMES            Matt Lofman                     Britain YM
                     Miranda Hurst                   Britain YM
+ one name to come
AWPS            Piyush Augustine               Mahoba YM
Americas      Cristela Martinez               El Salvador YM 

For International Membership Committee:
Michael Payne          Aotearoa/New Zealand YM [replacing Ruth Watson of Australia YM who has resigned].

 
CEC10-02e: 2010 Budget.
The budget for 2010 as recommended by the International Finance Committee is approved. A small deficit is anticipated, reflecting the impact of the 2008-2009 economic downturn.
 
CEC10-03e: Investment Policy document.
We have received with the recommendation of the International Finance Committee the Investment Policy document prepared by the Investment Sub-committee. It is a thorough document and we appreciate the work it entailed. We adopt this statement of investment policy and refer it back to the IFC and the Investment Sub-committee to implement.
 
CEC10 - 6 Global Change Programme
Nancy Irving and Marit Kromberg have introduced the paper by Marge Abbott reporting on progress on the Global Change Programme.
 
A part-time staff member, Samuel Mahaffy (Northwest Yearly Meeting) has been appointed on a contract basis from last December to June 2010 (and further as funds become available). This has added energy to the process. He will be responsible, amongst others locally, for fundraising.
 
Clusters are now being organised and a brochure with queries has been produced, and provided sufficient funds are raised, a Consultation for about 80 people will be held in 2011. A website www.fwccglobalchange.org has been set up, and is now being populated with material.
 
We are reminded again of cultural diversity and of the varieties of experience around the world, and of the necessity of flexible and appropriate local arrangements. Regional co-ordinators are being identified.
 
We remind ourselves that by global change we mean the interactions between social, economic and environmental changes. We realise that these interactions can impact us in different ways in different places.
 
Already there is evidence that this programme is reaching people who had not previously been involved with FWCC.
 
Marit Kromberg has served on the Global Change Steering Committee as a member of CEC, linking the two bodies. We are grateful for her service in this period of exploration. We ask Duduzile Mtshazo to serve on the Global Change Steering Committee as the new CEC link person. We are grateful for Marit’s willingness to continue when her service on CEC is completed. We are also grateful to Kenya Casanova Sales for volunteering to be the Cuba YM Co-ordinator.
 
CEC 10 - 7 FWCC Website
Harry Albright has introduced the CEC Section of the new FWCC website to us. This will serve as a library for all our documents. We also now have a CEC email list.
 
John Fitzgerald and Harry Albright have carried forward plans for the new FWCC website. Martin Kelley of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting is working with Harry to produce this. They hope that by June the site will be ready. Martin will then adapt the other three Section websites to be like the EMES one, which seems to be working well. The costs are going to be less than anticipated.
 
CEC 10 – 8 World Office Report
Nancy Irving has presented the World Office Report (paper 5). In many ways it has been a stable year with the same staff and volunteers in post, plus a few new ones. The financial situation has needed watching. It is Nancy’s judgement that the financial crisis has challenged Quaker bodies to think more co-operatively, and FWCC has been included in this thinking. A new MOU has been agreed with AFSC concerning the Quaker United Nations – New York Office.
 
CEC 10 – 9 New General Secretary Search and Appointment Process
We have further considered the process for finding our next General Secretary. We agree the process set out in paper 7c and have adjusted the schedule in paper 7d as follows:
 
Schedule for General Secretary Search – 2010 - 2012
May 2010
CEC determines composition of Search, Short-listing and Interview Groups and reviews person specification.
January 2011
World Office circulates to yearly meetings, affiliated groups and Quaker publications the news of a search for an opening in the course of 2011 for an Associate Secretary (General Secretary Designate). Search Group encourages applications.
May 2011
Application forms available
1 November 2011
Close of applications
Mid November 2011
Short-listing Group completes review of applications, determines the most promising candidates, obtains references for them, identifies finalists for interview
5 – 10 January 2012
Interviews by Interviewing Group in convenient location; recommendation to CEC
20 January 2012
Decision by CEC.
Publicise to yearly meetings, reps and world conference participants
1 July 2012
Begins employment as General Secretary Designate
August 2012
IRM in Nairobi makes appointment of General Secretary
1 January 2013
Begins as General Secretary
Duduzile Mtshazo, Moses Musonga, Marit Kromberg and Dilawar Chetsingh will consider how we identify members of the Search, Short-Listing and Interview Groups. Ray Treadway, Liz Gates and Jocelyn Burnell will develop the person specification. Roger Sturge, Nancy Irving and Margaret Fraser (subject to consent) will consider the financial package to be offered. We ask these groups to report back later in the meeting.
 
CEC 10 – 10 International Membership
Harry Albright has reported. The International Membership Committee (IMC) has been somewhat dormant, in part because of committee membership issues. In some areas however the local members of IMC have been active and have been in contact with international members in their area. Harry will endeavour to pull this committee together in the coming year, but there may be underlying structural issues that mean it is not optimised. We encourage Harry to have a skype conference with as many of the committee members as possible to consider the role and mode of operation of the IMC.
 
The International Membership Applications Committee has been busy, meeting three times in the last year and accepting seven new members. They have revised the Handbook for International Members; it will be put on the website when the new website is up.
 
CEC 10 – 11 International Planning Committee (IPC) Report
Elizabeth Gates has reported on the work of the International Planning Committee for the World Conference.
 
  1. The Site; it became clear that the Africa Nazarene University was not going to be a suitable site, and Kabarak University, a private, Christian University, 20 kilometres from Nakaru has been selected instead. Members of CEC had the opportunity to visit the University in advance of this meeting and we agree that it is a professionally run site which will meet our needs well. The IPC has had an extensive tour and has begun envisaging how we will use it. The main limitation is that there is limited disabled access and participants should expect to walk several kilometres each day on this extensive campus. The dates have been moved to 21 – 29 August 2012.
  2. The Programme is a mix of small groups, plenary worship, talks and other activities, starting and ending each day with worship. There will be one day of excursions.
  3. Financial Issues; a tiered system of conference fees (covering registration and room and board) is proposed with four levels of fee ranging from £20 to £550. The level of fee is determined by the GDP and Personal Purchasing Power of a Friend’s country, moderated by local circumstances. This means that everyone pays a fair share. We welcome this tiered system.
  4. Budget. Roger Sturge has outlined the budget prepared by Jonathan Vogel-Borne, Treasurer of the World Conference. The main items of expenditure will be:
Accommodation and other facilities at Kabarak (£138,000)
Buses to transport Friends
Interpretation costs
Cost of IPC and LAC (£93,000)
Employment of 2 additional staff in Kenya and London
Literature (£15,000)
Staff time (£72,000)
International travel (£125,000)
TOTAL £445,000
About two-thirds of the expenditure will be in 2012.
The main sources of income are:
Tiered conference fees (£285,000)
Transfer from IRM Fund (£39,000)
Transfer from General Fund (£34,000)
Fundraising (£70,000)
Southall Trust (£6,000)
Payment from LAC (£6,000)
Transfer from Travel and Accommodation Fund (£5,000)
TOTAL £445,000
 
We agree that advance costs will be met by transfers from the Conference and Travel Fund, where needed, on the understanding that these sums will be refunded to that fund.
 
These are rough figures, subject to firming up. A full, detailed budget will be distributed to members of CEC.
We hope that there might be a surplus, to refund the Travel and Accommodation Fund, the Staff and Office costs, and serve as seed corn for a future World Conference.
 
  1. The Local Arrangements Committee (LAC). The IPC received a full report from the LAC. The membership of the LAC is still not complete – we expect that all sixteen Kenyan Yearly Meetings will be represented on the LAC. Arranging pre- and post-conference visits and the mid-conference excursions is one of the major immediate tasks of the LAC as the information is needed by December, to go on the Registration Form. It has been agreed that the pre- and post-conference activities can be fund-raising opportunities for the LAC. The mid-conference excursions will normally be covered by the conference fee and will not incur additional charges, but a few options will. We hope that Kenyan Yearly Meetings will be held before, not during, the World Conference, so that visiting some Kenyan Yearly Meetings can be pre-conference options.
     
  2. Invitations to Yearly Meetings and Places. Letters were sent out in January, but the number of places offered was mostly too low; revised numbers will be sent out soon. A small group is considering outreach to Yearly Meetings and Groups that might need encouragement to attend. Five places are being held for representatives from the World Christian Community. Members of Quaker organisations will have to apply for open places, as will members of the International Representatives Meeting or Section Executive Committees that are not nominated by their Yearly Meeting. There will be 300 open places, 100 places for essential people and 600 places for the nominated Yearly Meeting Delegates. Yearly Meetings are asked to tell the World Office by September how many of their allocated places they expect to take up. The balance will become open places.
     
  3. Open Places. The budgeting assumes that everyone taking up an open place pays their appropriate tiered fee. It seems likely that a disproportionate number of open places will be taken up by Friends from the more affluent areas.
The criteria for selection for Open Places will include: achieving gender and age balance; balancing the numbers of those less experienced and more experienced at the international level; including people with special knowledge or skills – e.g. medical qualifications, IT skills or particular experience such as being a member of a Section Executive Committee.
 
  1. “Essential People”. There will be paid for places (with paid for travel) for about 100 people to include interpreters, twenty-five Local Arrangements Committee members, members of CEC and the International Planning Committee, IT people, the facilitators training the Home Group leaders, Staff and Stewards.
     
  2. Two Staff members will be hired by the World Office, as World Office employees: (i) a person to work in the London office starting soon, initially part-time but with an increasing commitment, and (ii) a person to work in Kenya for six months before and one month after the World Conference. The International Planning Committee has considered the Terms of Reference for the Kenyan employee.
     
  3. Advice on coming to Kenya. The International Planning Committee has been working on this. Two documents are being drafted: (i) guidance about local culture and expectations with respect to home stays and visiting a meeting, and (ii)the usual prices for things, tipping and bargaining. We affirm the long-standing policy that during the World Conference itself Friends do not approach one another for financial support for projects.
  4. Committees on site during the Conference. The International Planning Committee already sees the need for the following committees: (i) Worship Committee; (ii) Pastoral Care team; (iii) Home Group Facilitators/Trainers of Leaders – to lend support to leaders of Home Groups; (iv) Interpreters; and perhaps (v) a Listening Group to sense what is developing.
     
  5. Languages. The official languages will be English, Spanish and French. If a Plenary speaker wishes to speak in Kiswahili there will be consecutive interpretation. The pre-conference material will be available in the four languages.
     
  6. Feeling welcome. The International Planning Committee had a long discussion about how to ensure that all members of the family of Friends will feel welcome. A small group is drafting a statement articulating a genuine welcome. It is hoped that this document will be ready to go out by July.
     
  7. Publications. Preparation of the song book is well under way and more songs related to the theme are still being sought; there may be a conference song. The web site has been established (www.saltandlight2012.org). The IPC has a dedicated section of the World Conference site. Authors to write 300 – 500 word pieces on parts of the theme are being sought. Committee members are asked to forward suggestions to their Section Secretary. A Study Booklet will be formed from these articles. There will be an on-line study course, and a report after the Conference. A video may be made during the Conference.
  8. Environmental Impact. Thinking has started about the environmental impact of the meeting, and awareness of this has been raised.
We thank the IPC for their work, and Elizabeth Gates for her thorough report.
 
CEC10 – 12 EMES Report
Marisa Johnson has introduced the EMES Report (paper 10). Two anniversaries have been celebrated – the 30th anniversary of the Quaker Centre for European Affairs (QCEA) Brussels, and the 100th anniversary of the dedication of Ramallah Meeting House in Israel/Palestine. Eleven new international members have been accepted. At the last Annual Meeting of the Section there was an emphasis on Eldership which helped the quality of worship in their business meetings. There has been a recent evaluation of the on-line programme, which has produced useful feedback. The Peace and Service Consultation is proving very strong. Nancy Irving and the Evangelical Friends Church International (EFCI) Regional Director, Antal Frei, participated in the Central European Gathering in Vienna in 2009. The new website is very successful, is transforming relationships between the Section and yearly meetings, and is bringing Friends together in a new way. The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) has awarded the Section a grant of £161000 over 39 months, to secure the ministry and outreach work. However the Section still needs to increase their core funding to meet planned expenditure.
 
CEC10 - 13 General Secretary Recruitment – Financial Package
The General Secretary’s salary is related to the pay scale used in Britain Yearly Meeting. Roger Sturge will discuss with James Davidson (Britain Yearly Meeting’s personnel adviser) what the appropriate scale would be for both the new General Secretary and the Associate Secretary (General Secretary Designate), assuming we manage the 6 months’ overlap, and he will report to our next meeting. We agree that reasonable removal and upheaval costs should also be met. We will have to seek additional funding for the 6 months’ overlap and the other costs. We also ask Roger Sturge to report to our next meeting on other aspects of the financial package such as pension and medical insurance.
 
CEC10 - 14 Next Meeting of the International Representatives
There will be an International Representatives Meeting (IRM) in August 2012, during the World Conference. We have considered when the following International Representatives Meeting should be.
 
We are clear that a five-year interval is too long. Arguments for shorter intervals are that CEC benefits from more frequent inputs from the IRM and is more visible. More frequent meetings keep up the energy levels also. However more frequent meetings have greater environmental impact, and with a three-year interval the World Office is perpetually planning meetings to the detriment of other initiatives like the Global Change Project. We agree to hold the next IRM after a four-year interval in 2016.
 
The location of the meeting has also been discussed. We suggest the Office investigates several locations in the Section of the Americas, and we encourage Yearly Meetings to invite us. We ask Nancy Irving to report back to our next meeting.
 
CEC10 - 15 Transition Planning
Further to Minute CEC09-24 we have given further thought to how to achieve some continuity of CEC membership 2012 to 2013. Some ideas floated include a joint meeting of the old and new CEC after the World Conference and some officers staying on for a year to help the new officers. Dilawar Chetsingh and Marit Kromberg have closely examined our constitution. There is some flexibility allowed by it and they suggest that is sufficient, so no constitutional change is needed. We suggest that for the Treasurer’s position the International Representatives Meeting is asked to appoint a new Treasurer to take up office on 1st January 2014 to serve until 31st December of the year following the next International Representatives Meeting. The International Representatives Plenary meeting would also be asked to extend Roger Sturge’s appointment by 1 year to 31st December 2013. The new appointee would be invited to attend CEC and would serve on the International Finance Committee. We are grateful that Nominations Committee are aware of these issues and trust that they will be well guided in their work.
 
CEC10 – 16 Communications
Harry Albright has reported. Since the last CEC meeting he has been working mainly on ‘Friends around the World’ and the websites. The 2010 edition of ‘Friends around the World’ is now out. He has had problems getting updated information in advance of publication. There is a website (www.friendsaroundtheworld.org) where alterations and corrections can be submitted, and the latest information is available. The book attempts to cover all the Quaker flavours. Several new websites have been created. Harry expects that the Global Change website will take up most of his time in the near future. We thank Harry for his work.
 
CEC10 – 17 Intervisitation and Twinning
The group working on this asks for more time to bring us a fuller draft. We look forward to receiving this as soon as it is ready.
 
CEC 10 – 18 Travelling in the Ministry
Nancy Irving has reported on her travels in the Ministry over the last six months. Her travels have included a major visit to Bolivia and Peru, accompanied by Louise Salinas from the Section of the Americas. It was the first time for five years that Bolivia and Peru has had a staff visitor. It was an intense visit and they met people from some of the unaffiliated as well as affiliated Yearly Meetings. She was struck by the close parallels with the situation in Africa. She hopes that many of the Bolivian Yearly Meetings will send representatives to the World Conference. We hear that one of the unaffiliated Yearly Meetings (Iglesia Evangélica Unión Boliviana Amigos – Bolivian Union) is seeking affiliation with the Section of the Americas.
 
Roger Sturge has been visiting in western Kenya – he is concerned to promote better understanding between British and Kenyan Friends. He has been visiting schools, and the Friends Church Peace Team that has been doing good work in the Turbo area. An interfaith Peace Meeting has been set up in the Turbo area; Roger attended its inaugural meeting. He hopes to do more work with the schools in future.
Duduzile Mtshazo has visited the worship group in Windhoek, Namibia. This is a thriving small group, but a little fragile. They have been participating in a Peace Centre in Windhoek. Her planned visit to Madagascar had to be cancelled because the programme had been laid down.
 
Jocelyn Burnell visited Missouri Valley Friends Association’s annual meeting last October, and led a workshop. She will speak at Border Meeting for Friends from Europe in September and will visit and lead workshops or interest groups at Lake Erie Yearly Meeting, Baltimore Yearly Meeting, and New England Yearly Meeting in August this year.
 
CEC10 – 19 Change Agents for Peace International
Hezron Masitsa has spoken to us about the work of Change Agents for Peace International in East and Central Africa, and has also told us of the Alternatives to Violence Programme and the Quaker Peace Network’s activities in these areas. We thank him for giving up his evening to come to talk to us.
 
CEC10 – 20 Section of the Americas Report
Ray Treadway has introduced this report. The Section continues to develop new ways of working. Electronic communication systems are being used more, and more imaginatively. A Strategic Planning Retreat, preceded by an online survey and focus groups, became aware of two strong messages: a) confirmation that FWCC’s purpose must be to facilitate communication and dialogue among the various branches of Friends; and b) that local events were needed to bring FWCC to where Friends are. Consequently the Section is organising local events on the theme of the World Conference so that hundreds of Friends (many more than can go to Kabarak) will be aware of the World Conference. This is a radically different way of working for the Section. Constitutionally the Section is required to have an Annual Meeting, but in 2011 their Annual Meeting will last two days only and will be a slimmed down business meeting.
 
Margaret Fraser has reported on Latin American affairs. For some time, in this part of the Section, they have been spending money on workshops and other events where Friends are. They have held several writers’ workshops to develop a ministry of writing. A major event will be the final of a series of conferences of the Latin American Historic Peace Churches; it will be held in the Dominican Republic in late 2010. FWCC is strongly supporting this conference. Looking further ahead the final event of the Decade to Overcome Violence will be held in Jamaica.
 
We welcome this report and commend to each other the kind of survey this Section did in preparation for their Strategic Planning Exercise. We look forward to hearing how their local events on the World Conference theme are going.
 
CEC10 – 21 Africa Section Report.
We have participated in the recent Section Triennial meeting held in Bungoma, western Kenya, and have learnt much about the Section and Friends in Africa through being there. Moses Musonga has reported further. There have been several major meeting in Africa this year, with more to come. Organising these has taken major amounts of time and energy. A new Section Executive Committee has been appointed: David Bucura replaces Gladys Kang’ahi as Section Clerk. A new venture for the Section has been a retreat for Presiding Clerks and Representatives and this has been fruitful.
 
Tanzania Yearly Meeting is now on its feet, and the Section continues to support its leadership. The Section is also working closely with the new leadership in Uganda Yearly Meeting. We are concerned to learn that Irish Quaker Faith in Action has sent money to the previous leadership (who are operating as individuals now, using the name of Uganda Yearly Meeting, but without the backing of that Yearly Meeting). We ask our Clerk to write to Irish Quaker Faith in Action outlining the situation as we understand it and asking them to consider whether sending any further funds to the previous leaders is in right ordering. It is our judgement that their contributions are aggravating the tensions between the previous and new leadership.
 
We encourage the Section to be diligent in communicating within and beyond the Section. In spite of efforts to improve communications with Central and Southern Africa Yearly Meeting that Yearly Meeting is still feeling isolated. We encourage that Yearly Meeting to ensure that they receive emails reliably, such as by setting up a central Yearly Meeting email address.
 
We thank Gladya Kang’ahi for her service and are pleased to learn that she will continue on the Local Arrangements Committee.
 
CEC10 – 22 Treasurer’s Report
  1. Roger Sturge has introduced the financial statement for 2009 (paper 14) and his commentary (paper 14a). These have been examined by the International Finance Committee. We approve these accounts. Our report to the Charity Commissioners (paper 14b) is also approved, subject to the figures in sections 5 and 7 being inserted. We note that our auditor has advised that the costs of CEC meetings should only in part be attributed to the governance line, the rest being ‘charitable activity’. Governance in UK Charity law covers only our statutory obligations such as approving accounts and minutes. Previously all CEC costs had been attributed to governance. This change has been made in the 2009 accounts.
     
  2. International Finance Committee: Jonathan Vogel-Borne, the World Conference Treasurer has been appointed to this committee, until the World Conference. The committee meets by conference telephone call. Each Section Treasurer gives a short report, which is very helpful. Investment Sub-committee: John Lewis has resigned from this committee and Andrew Gunn has been appointed in his place.
     
  3. Investment management (paper 15). The International Finance Committee on the advice of the Investment Sub-committee recommends that we should use Rathbone Greenbank as our investment manager. We would continue to use Ethical Investors as our independent financial advisers. Both these arrangements should be reviewed after a year. We agree to this. We have noted the Investment Asset Allocation table: currently we have a much smaller fraction than our target in bonds and a much larger fraction in cash. One of the reasons for switching to Rathbone Greenbank is that we will be better placed to rectify these distortions.
     
  4. Forecast 2010. Roger has provided for our information a revised forecast which shows a small surplus rather than a small deficit.
2011 and 2012 provisional budgets. We are expecting a significant decline in donation income. We will control expenditure but we should expect a decline in our general reserve, taking us below our target of having six months’ operating costs in this fund. The financial outcome of the World Conference in 2012 is a major uncertainty. International Finance Committee will bring a budget for 2011 for our approval after their October meeting. We note these provisional figures.
 
  1. Fundraising. We are seeking a volunteer to help make application to charities for our core funds. We shall also need to fundraise for the Travel and Accommodation Fund for the World Conference, and to provide an overlap of the new General Secretary Designate with Nancy Irving.
CEC10 – 23 Asia West Pacific Report
Valerie Joy has reported. The next Section Triennial will be in Manila in April 2011. Very few local Friends will have been to an international Quaker event. Evangelical, programmed and unprogrammed Friends will be attending.
 
Intervisitation – several Filipino visitors attended Australia Yearly Meeting and their presence was much appreciated. In Japan we do not seem to be able to hold Young Friends: an Australian Friend will be visiting in Japan and will give the Nitobe lecture. Seoul Monthly Meeting is celebrating their 50th anniversary; there are now two other worshipping groups in Korea. A worship group has developed in Singapore and is attracting about twelve people – it was started by an attender who found Quakers on the web. An All-India Friends Gathering was held at Chhatarpur in February this year.
 
The Section is looking forward to Martin Kelley developing their website. They hope to have the first AWPS essay published on the links between Quaker and Buddhist understanding. The AWPS Global Change Committee is active. Significant preparation work for the World Conference is yet to start. The Section gathered and forwarded funds to assist victims of the Philippines floods, and has provided assistance for several other Filipino projects. The Executive Committee now holds meetings by skype, and this is felt to be an improvement.
 
We thank Valerie Joy and Dilawar Chetsingh for this report.
 
CEC10 – 24 Personnel
The Clerk reports that John Noble (Sutton, UK) has joined the Personnel Committee – he replaces Tony Fitt whose term has ended. She has not yet been able to arrange Nancy Irving’s appraisal, but hopes this will happen later this year.
 
CEC10 – 25 Nominations
Judy Rangnes (EMES) has asked to be released from the Nominations Committee. Bronwyn Harwood (former EMES Secretary and Britain Yearly Meeting) is willing to serve and we agree to appoint her from now until the World Conference.
 
David Bucura replaces Gladys Kang’ahi as Clerk of the Africa Section and so we will be short of an ‘at large’ member of CEC. Nominations Committee will be asked to find a replacement, to serve until 31st December 2012.
 
CEC10 – 26 Young Adult Friends Committee
Erin McDougal has agreed to serve. John Ocol has asked to be released. There is still an EMES vacancy. We believe some plans were developed, but very little has actually happened. The Section will be in contact with the African co-clerk John Lomuria, to see how some progress might be made.
 
CEC10 – 27 QUNO Report
The New York office is focussing on Peace Building and the Prevention of Violent Conflict. In Geneva the Quaker UN committee decided to focus on three areas – food, migration and climate change. In addition the work on women in prison and children of people in prison continues.
 
David Atwood retires soon. He serves both as Director of the Geneva Office and Project Officer responsible for Disarmament. Some restructuring may be appropriate; the committee will be considering this at its meeting next week.
 
We have also received a report (paper 17a) on the NGO Committee on UNICEF – this body too is working on children’s rights and well-being. A third part of this work is the criminal justice work (based in Vienna), especially restorative justice, and the women and children of prisoners.
 
CEC10 – 28 Person Specification for the new General Secretary
We agree the following person specification:
 
ABILITIES
Fluent in English (required); a second language is desirable
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal (required)
Capacity to travel for frequent and extensive periods (required)
Competent at public speaking
Able to think strategically
Able to work cooperatively with and take advice from others
Comfortable talking about personal spiritual life
Cognizant of both details and the larger picture
Capable of dealing with Government regulations
Capable of planning
Ability to navigate cross-cultural and cross-theological waters
 
PERSONAL QUALITIES
Good listening skills
Tactful, diplomatic and tolerant
Honest and reliable
Good interpersonal and networking skills
 
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge of and respect for all the Quaker traditions across the world family of Friends (required)
Comfortable with all forms of electronic communication (required)
Familiar with the Bible and Christian traditions
Familiar with international Quaker and Christian organisations
 
EXPERIENCE
Active member (in good standing) of the Religious Society of Friends (required)
Experience of successful office administration, including managing and supervising staff, budgeting, financial administration and fundraising.
Experience of successful organisation of both large and small meetings
 
Experience of working with Quaker committees
OTHER
Willing to live in the Greater London area (required).
 
 
We feel that five years is a minimum term of service. We ask the Search Group to liaise with James Davidson about what we might do about probation.
 
CEC10 – 29 Recruitment of new General Secretary – membership of Search etc Groups
We agree the names and reserves to serve on the Search Group, the Short-Listing Group and the Interview Group for the recruitment of the new General Secretary.
 
Search Group: Duduzile Mtshazo (Clerk); others to be asked.
Short-listing Group: Ray Treadway (Clerk); others to be asked
Interview Group: Jocelyn Burnell (Clerk); others to be asked
 
CEC10 – 30 Date and Place of 2011 Meeting
EMES Section meets 21st – 24th April 2011 and we expect to join them in Hertzberg, Aarau, between Berne and Zurich, Switzerland. The CEC meeting will be 25th – 27th April 2011 (finishing about 6pm on 27th) at Begegnunzentrum, Rüdlingen, near Zurich, Switzerland.
 
CEC10 - 31 Review of this meeting.
We have reviewed this meeting. The location has been very good and we are grateful to Edith Mijega, Moses Musonga, John Mikisi and Bainito Khayongo and all local Friends for their hospitality and for looking after us so well. In our meetings the discipline has been good and the pace suitable. We appreciate being of a size that allows us to break into working groups as necessary. There is a sense of community in our meetings – we are getting to know one another and become a family. More papers were available in advance which is helpful and the new website looks like being a useful asset. We have been quite tired (for some of us this was our third meeting in a row) and the travelling and culture shock have also taken their toll. However we believe we have done our business properly.
 
CEC10 - 32 Closing Minute
We say farewell to Marit Kromberg and Gladys Kang’ahi at this meeting, thanking them warmly for their service; we are glad to know that they will continue to be associated with FWCC. We have met at the Savelberg Retreat Centre, named after Monsignor Savelberg who founded the Little Sisters of St Joseph who run this retreat centre. Savelberg’s motto was ‘God has helped. God is still helping. God will always help.’ We have been much helped as we have worked here and ourselves assert ‘God has helped. God is still helping. God will always help.’
 
S. Jocelyn Burnell
Clerk

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Friends World Committee for Consultation is the umbrella organisation for the 400,000+ Friends, often called Quakers, around the world. Our purpose is to encourage fellowship among all the branches of the Religious Society of Friends. 

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